The Silent Cowboy Chapter 2 Part 2

Rachel sat rocking Eblin.  He had grown so in the past few months.  He was strong and smart, always following her like a tiny shadow and helping her in her pitiful little garden.

The desert was no friend to a garden but she was able to coax a few plants to grow; mostly peppers and corn but a few potatoes too.  It helped to feed the family along with the rations of beans, rice, sugar and coffee.  Once in a while they could get onions from Mexico of fruit from California.

They managed better than most because they were fortunate enough to have jobs.  Jacob worked for the railroad, Elsie took in laundry and Rachel cared for the house, garden and little Eblin.  Though she was much older than her brother Jacob, she was still strong.

Jacob, though, was not.  His quick growth during his teen years made him very tall and put a strain on his inner organs.  Extremely tall people often develop Marfan Syndrome.  They did not understand it all, but the military doctors did and would not accept him in to the army.  “Well, maybe that was for the best.”  Thought Rachel.

She and her younger sister, Sarah, had always relied on their brother Jacob.  He was a good worker and cared for them the best he could.  Their parents had died young and left them orphans.

She did not usually think about her parents, but the couple next door had just died leaving five children.  She had heard they had died of the flu and all the children now were sick.

“I so hope you don’t get sick little man.”  Rachel said and brushed a fly away from Eblin’s face.

*****

“What’s that?” 

Rachel looked down at the innocent blue eyes staring back at her.  “What?”

“What’s that?”  Repeated Eblin pointing at the front door.

Rachel heard wagon wheels rolling on the dusty road.  “A wagon.”

“A wagon!”  Eblin slipped down off her lap and walked to the front door with Rachel close behind.

Opening the screen door, they saw a wagon slowly moving down the road.  A lady with a light blue and white uniform walked behind it.  The red cross on her armband could be seen when she turned to speak with them.

“Afternoon.”  She nodded, her face serious and sad.  “Don’t go over to your neighbor’s house just there.”  Pointing to the left.